With a net worth of over $150 Million, Bishop David Oyedepo is looking at increasing his fortunes by launching a commercial airline to be called Dominion Air. Kinda fitting seeing as he already has 4 private jets (Gulfstream level o…not single engine planes).

The founder of Living Faith Church Worldwide (widely known as Winners Chapel), is adding to his already thriving businesses, Dominion Publishing House, Covenant University and an elite secondary school called Faith Academy.

Nigeria’s richest pastor and self-styled bishop, David Oyedepo, has made a glistening addition to his business empire by floating an airline called Dominion Air.
Oyedepo, who a few years ago ignited debate on flamboyant Christianity by acquiring his fourth private jet, is the owner of Dominion Publishing House, Covenant University and an elite secondary school called Faith Academy.

Listed by Forbes as Nigeria’s wealthiest pastor with a net worth of $150 million, David Oyedepo is a preacher and founder of Living Faith Church Worldwide, more popularly known as Winners’ Chapel. Besides his four private jets, Forbes also mentioned the preacher’s luxury homes in London and the United States.

Sources within the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), the agency charged with business registration in Nigeria, confirmed the registration of Dominion Air with David Oyedepo as its chairman. Another source within a Lagos-based insurance firm known to handle most of Oyedepo’s businesses said the airline project had been in the works for six years and was only made a reality this year.

The broker who balked at putting figures to the number of aircrafts so far purchased authoritatively said none of them is on lease.

If Oyedepo’s entry into the airline business is creating exciting buzz in Nigeria’s stock exchange, the same cannot be said with the Christian community, especially the Pentecostal congregations, where the so-called men of God have been criticised for alienating their poor followers with their flamboyant lifestyle.

Money laundering

According to Lawrence Ofili, a member of the Save Nigeria Group (SNG), the social movement that staged days of protest over this year’s controversial fuel price hike, Nigerian pastors are increasingly acting like politicians who put themselves first before the people.

“Pastor Oyedepo by his choice of businesses has severally demonstrated a disconnect between himself and hundreds of thousands of poor Christians who he claimed to have come to deliver. About 90 per cent of public schools in this country were built by early Christian missionaries; today Oyedepo has Covenant University but it is for children of millionaires,” says Mr Ofili.

“Even with the high school called Faith Academy, I am aware that most children in his congregation dream to be educated there but their parents who probably pay tithes and offerings cannot afford the school fees. His Faith Tabernacle accommodates 50,000 worshippers every Sunday; how many of them are going to fly Dominion Air? Honestly this project is not for the poor. He should have settled for mechanised farming to engage unemployed men and women.”

As news of Dominion Air streamed into the Christian community in Nigeria, observers are worried that Oyedepo’s latest venture would revive old rivalries and competition among the country’s wealthy pastors and televangelists who appear to be on an endless supremacy battle.

After Oyedepo announced the acquisition of a fourth private jet, 70-year-old Pastor Enoch Adeboye, leader of the Redeemed Christian Church Of God (RCCG) could smile only after he had acquired a new Gulfstream aircraft worth $28 million.

Chris Oyakhilome, another preacher listed by Forbes as Nigeria’s second richest pastor, has a net worth of about $50 million. Founder of the Christ Embassy Church, Oyakhilome who has diverse business interest from satellite TV to a record label, hotels and real estate was in 2011 involved in a $35 million money laundering case with the Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC).

Highly connected in police and political circles, the debonair preacher managed to wriggle his way out by reportedly saying the huge foreign exchange stash was a birthday gift from his followers.

In 1987 while he was in the United States, Oyedepo said he got a call from God to “get back home and make my people rich”. The Make-My-People-Rich mantra has remained the major thrust for the prosperity message for which the preacher is known for.

I hope he is giving back enough with all the jets he has…deos he really need all that??its funny how some pastor have so much while people in their church who are just trying to get by go to church and give the little they have…how people have forgotten this is not about wealth,anyways cant judge nobody.js

this reporter is a big dullard ,have u ever been to covenant university or faith academy . pls research first before you publish bullshit .these schools pay the lowest school fee in all private school in Nigeria i know this because i schooled there. so pls be informed before u confuse others .

I must say it’s you Ikenna who are ignorant of what you are saying and not the reporter, for your information, the least schol fees which is Industrial rel & HRM for new student in Convenant University is N546,000.00
What makes that the least?

@ ikenna…you talk crazy which is not to be expected taking in account the amount u pay in school…how many families in Nigeria can afford to pay the so called “low fees” paid @ ur school?how did oyedepo make the money for building ur school?ASE..the argument is not about comparative payment of school fees in private schools..the argument is the morality of a pastor utilising church offerings to set up a BUisness(CU) and charging premium payment for it…FOOL YOU

There are lot of things we may not have known if not for the men of God. They have studied and brought to us information that have changed our lives. Some of the things we know today were not and will never be taught in universities.Until you believe this truth you will never understand what i have said.

daddy in Lord,pastor of poor,the light of our so called country nigeria, the man that make the afrians 2kown there right. My dady your effort 2 the peopel of ourcountry both in HEALTH,EDUCATION,AND TRANSPORTION, MAY the almight GOD Conutin 2use u 2bless d poor in jesus name Amen.. By Nwanyanwu Justice Chinemerem.08064476560

nothing but the truth our daddy in the lord keep it up,some think that wealth belongs to the so called devil and they believe in his lies..
what is wrong with bishop owning jets how does it affect you and your family or your bus-sines did you contribute in the buying of those jets please i beg if not just shut your big mouth and never open it again.paul [email protected]

You are a fool…didn’t u contribute?or u think ur good Pastor takes ur offerings and tithes up to heaven to God??really stupid of you..his homes in US and UK where do u think he got the money to build ’em?you’re idiotic

U guys shld b careful ooo so that u don’t rain down d wrath of God. God has not made any of u a judge. Go n read Numbers 12:1-16. And @ Ajayi u must know that Bishop Oyedepo does not know how much is been collected as offering and tithe on every service day

Until the world come to the knowledge of Gog’s word as clearly stated in the book of Haggai chapter 2 verse 8 that”THE SILVER IS MINE AND THE GOLD IS MINE, SAITH THE LORD OF HOST”, they will not understand ,that, uncommon wealth belongs to God’s people .We are not moved by what they write or say.The earth is the LORD’S and its fullness thereof.

GEGREAT, WHY DO YOU HAVE TO IMPOSE CURSE UPON YOURSELF WITH YOUR CARELESS TALK…. WHO TOLD YOU THAT THE ANOINTED MAN OF GOD DEY CHOP MONEY? PLEASE GO AND MAKE RESTITUTION WITH THE BISHOP SO THAT HE MAY PRAY FOR YOU SO THAT THIS CURSE MAY BE NULLIFIED. I ADVISE YOU NOT TO EVER CONTRIBUTE JOKINLY OR NEGATIVELY. TO ANY MAN OR WOMAN OF GOD REPORT AGAIN. MAY GOD BLESS YOU.

From your argument I can see that u re under the curse of STUPIDITY…where does ur good pastor get the money for his 4 jets jare…where do ur sunday offerings go…do u think oyedepo takes it to heaven to God…oponu radarada….you need someone to cast out the spirit of stupidity in ur life…your anointed God of Baal
is using u to chop life already…where do u think he is getting money to start dominion airlines?God drop money for am?..ODE

Isaiah 5:20,24 – Some people call evil good, and good evil. They reject the law of God and despise His word. This goes hand in hand with the people who openly hate God. They love to practice things that God says are evil, so they not only don’t want to hear the truth, but the openly resent it. Lets read John 8:15… You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. Jesus son of God have mercy on us, inoculate us with your love, offences will never hurt us again, You sent your word and he sent us free from all oppression, Your word divided the water, deliver us from corrupt communication and unit us with your love in Jesus Holy name.

A lot of Nigerians talk without facts, Oyedepo has given scholarship to thousands of his congregation including non members.He has created thousands of jobs that Our government couldn’t provide.People should stop castigating good men.If we have 100 oyedepos in every state in Nigeria, unemployment and poverty will die a natural death.Nigerians think!

@ thaddeus…ehen…I didn’t know ooo.so uncommon wealth belong to God’s people….last time I go Murtala Mohammed I no see ur own jet nah..abi na ur house u park am?how many u don buy now abi u no fall in the category of God’s people?while u ride okada in lagos(which has been banned anyway)and run the risk of having a fatal accident(God forbid sincerely)u contribute to buy jets for another man?your native intelligence and scholarship is questionable @ best

i admire ur courage Ajayi in telling these fools the truth. Nigerian churh-goers are the greates idiots i’ve ever met,can you imagine,if a pastor or an oveseer is sleeping with their mum,he’ll forever remain the anointed man of God, why? thou shall not judge!

Methink,just like Bakare once admitted, these mega pastors should be jailed.They are no better than our hopeless politicians.
No matter what you write or say,their followers are under their spells…
kudos to you…

whom do you prefer? The pastor that was able to establish schools and businesses for the youths of this nation or the politicians who embassled nigeria money and dump some in foriegn accounts that of no use to the citezen of our country? Need I remind u that God Servant always prays and blesses those who contribut to the work of God and many come back with testimonies, u can make a search.

Daddy, as u go up higher, keep on praying and visiting the poor in our country. The word of God says The wealth of the nation shall flow to us like a river that never goes dry. You will never go down but keep on moving higher.

Wait a minute,are you saying it is wrong for a christian or pastor to be super rich or that God doesn’t believe in prosperity?you guys should also judge king solomon for his wealth and extravagant lifestyle in the bible then?it is even a disgrace for a christian to be poor because your father is the creator of heaven and earth and also the universe?for the fact that he is a pastor doesn’t mean he shouldn’t explore his business ideas and acumen….offerings and tithes were meant to be paid or given to the church or the pastor..God himself said it in leviticus

Wait a minute,are you saying it is wrong for a christian or pastor to be super rich or that God doesn’t believe in prosperity?you guys should also judge king solomon for his wealth and extravagant lifestyle in the bible then?it is even a disgrace for a christian to be poor because your father is the creator of heaven and earth and also the universe?have you seen a person whose father owns a restaurant and he still lacks food?for the fact that he is a pastor doesn’t mean he shouldn’t explore his business ideas and acumen….offerings and tithes were meant to be paid or given to the church or the pastor..God himself said it in leviticus

guyz, be careful where u trend on, solomon in the bible was very rich david his father was also rich n still there where a lot of poor people in isreal, does it nullify the fact that dis men where no anointed men of Od?.. no!!!!! even when saul the king had the mantle leave him to David, the man thta slayed saul came to report the news to david but David slayed him… saying y thou slayeth a man of God…

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